According to the National Weather Service, partly cloudy and partly sunny are the same. However, partly cloudy can be used for nighttime. If the sky is covered by 3/8 or 5/8 of the cloud, then it is said to be partly cloudy or partly sunny.
The sky is said to be cloudy when ¾ or 7/8 of the sky is covered by cloud; this usually occurs during the night time or raining season.
It is also referred to as considerable cloudiness, while the cloud is said to be sunny when there is more sun than the cloud. This occurs when 1/8 to ¼ of the sky is covered by the cloud, it is also referred to sunny or clear which means there are no clouds in the sky.
When you say that it is partly cloudy, this means that there are about 3 to 5 opaque clouds in a certain area at a time. When you say mostly sunny, this means that there are about 1 to 2 opaque clouds at a certain area at a time.
It will help to know the difference between these terms so that you will know exactly what it is referring to. The more that you know, the more that you can understand what the potential weather is going to be.
Take note that clouds will always make a lot of difference with how the weather is going to be. The more clouds that are available in the sky and the darker the clouds are, the higher the chances that it is going to rain.